On Friday, January 16, the transfer of National Education City took place at the Maarten van Rossemschool in Arnhem. Alderman Abdelhaq Jermoumi (Leiden) symbolically handed over the keys to Alderman Nermina Kundić (Arnhem). With this transfer, the education year in Leiden ended and opened in Arnhem.
The theme for Arnhem National Education City 2026 is Growing Together. Arnhem shows that learning does not stop at the school gate: children and young people develop in the classroom and in the city, among nature, culture, sports, businesses and neighborhoods. Alderman for Education Nermina Kundić: It is an honor to carry this title all year round, I am proud of that. In Arnhem, the world is your classroom. Education does not stop at the schoolyard. In Arnhem, children and young people learn from each other, from experiences and from the city. For example, with the rich school day, an extended school day with free activities such as sports, culture, nature, technology and homework guidance. This way children discover their talents, learn to cooperate and get equal opportunities to develop broadly, at school and beyond. Being National Education City now gives us a wonderful opportunity to show how we invest together in equal opportunities for every child.
You bring what is outside inside
The key transfer was given extra significance by a poem from city poet Jesse Laport. He especially advocated broadening your world, also at school. And how valuable and enriching that can be.
Two stanzas from the poem:
You tear down the walls
bring what is outside inside
bring what is inside outside
to start growing
Here we do it together
thinking beyond the classroom
in Arnhem you can search
and you find it all here
A year full of activities
Arnhem kicks off the Education Year with a national conference on nature and sustainability education. This takes place on January 23 at Burgers Zoo. Then a campaign starts to recruit more people for education. On April 2 there is an education fair where schools present themselves to everyone considering becoming a teacher. Kundić: Schools urgently need good teachers. With this campaign we hope to enthuse more people for the profession. As a teacher you can really make a difference. For the child who learns effortlessly, and for the child struggling with school or life outside it.
During the Education Year there are activities for education professionals, but students will also notice something. Kundić: With the Rich School Day of course, giving them extra opportunities to grow. But also the Technology Day, where children and young people aged 8 to 14 can get acquainted with technology. Not by sitting in school desks, but by experimenting and rolling up their sleeves. And of course the school vegetable gardens. That is much more than gardening. Children learn language and math, discover how food grows and experience what healthy soil means. They learn to care, take responsibility and cooperate.
National Education Week
The National Education Week Foundation sees education as the engine for living, learning and working. Wonderful things happen in education with powerful effects. That deserves a recurring stage. In 2026 the core activities of the National Education Week Foundation take place in the week from October 5 to 9 in Arnhem National Education City 2026. More information can be found at www.nationaleonderwijsweek.nl.